Dons bag Chelsea’s Baker

25 February 2015

mkdons.com

MK Dons have signed Chelsea’s highly-rated youngster Lewis Baker on a youth loan.

The England Under-21 international will remain at stadiummk until the end of the season, inclusive of the play-offs, and he could make his debut this weekend when the men from MK1 face Coventry City at the Ricoh Arena, subject to clearance.

A two-footed creative midfielder, the 19-year-old was named Chelsea's Young Player of the Year in 2013/14 after scoring a combined 26 goals for the Blues’ Under-21s and his country, including a stunning back-heeled goal against Arsenal.

He has featured on the bench for Chelsea’s first-team three times this season as well as represent England Under-21s on two occasions. He also made four loan appearances for Championship outfit Sheffield Wednesday last month.

Speaking to mkdons.com, manager Karl Robinson said: “Lewis is one of the most gifted young midfielders in England and I’m looking forward to working with him for the rest of the season.

“Obviously with Dele (Alli) out for up to six weeks, Lewis gives us another option in midfield. He also knows where the goal is too, which is clear by the amount he scored last season - a great achievement at any age level.

“I am confident that this addition will give us a real push at an important time in the season.”

He added: “I’d like to thank Neil Bath and everybody at Chelsea for allowing us the opportunity to have Lewis continue his development at stadiummk.”

Born in Luton, Baker joined Chelsea as a nine-year-old and progressed through the Blues’ Academy to become a regular feature in their Under-18s and Under-19s sides.

He scored four goals in three appearances for Chelsea at the 2013 NextGen Series, where they finished as runners-up. That form earned him a call-up to the England Under-19s squad for their European Championship qualifiers.

The following season, Baker’s impressive form at both club and international levels continued and he was rewarded by being named on the bench for Chelsea’s Capital One Cup clash with Swindon Town in September 2013.

Baker was then handed his senior debut by Jose Mourinho as a substitute in Chelsea’s 2-0 victory over Derby County in the FA Cup in January 2014. He also featured on the bench for Chelsea’s Premier League fixture with Liverpool.

Returning for the 2014/15 campaign as a member of Chelsea’s first-team squad, Baker played regularly for the Stamford Bridge outfit during pre-season. At international level, he made his England Under-21s debut against Croatia in a European Championship qualifier.

Named on the bench for Chelsea’s Premier League bout with Manchester United in October and their Capital One Cup tie at Shrewsbury Town, Baker joined Sheffield Wednesday on loan in early January.

He featured four times for the Owls during his time at Hillsborough, two of which were starts, before being recalled by his parent club two weeks ago.